Mundugumor Culture Analysis

One of the more fascinating things that I read in this chapter pertains to the two cultures of New Guinea in which there were remarkable similarities between men and women. In fact, despite their various differences; both the gentle friendly and relatively docile Arapesh culture and the savage barbaric Mundugumor culture of New Guinea both see men and woman are as equals with each gender sharing similar roles during child baring and hunting in each respective culture. One fact that I found interesting about the women of the Mundugumor culture is that they lacked a maternal instinct and viewed the idea of child bearing to be repulsive (the book specifically states that Mundugumor women actively dislike children) which is a stark contrast to most of western society in which it is the cultural norm for women to have a high maternal instinct and the actively enjoy the act of bearing children (Kimmel 60-61).
Another interesting thing that I learned in this chapter was about a group of biological men from a Native American tribe

The textbook brings up the point that circumcision is used in many cultures as a bonding ceremony between young boys and their fathers, and the act is usually performed without any mothers (or women in general) present. Female circumcision by comparison is generally performed by women (however in some cases it is performed by male family members) and usually involves actions that aim to prevent sexual pleasure in order to prevent promiscuous behavior. When you look at the difference in effect that each ceremony has on the lives of its participants it is obvious that many of these cultures are worried more about sexual promiscuity in woman than acts of infidelity caused by men. It is almost as if their saying that it is the women's fault that men cannot control their sexual